Chapter 2
SOPHIA
Our first lesson began, and I caught myself repeatedly distracted by my new professor.
He had this… authoritative yet calm demeanor. He chose his words and spoke them with a soothing voice that I could easily fall asleep to.
With his suit now off, he rolled up his snug shirt sleeves, revealing his muscles and a hairy forearm.
Occasionally, his eyes met mine staring at him. At other times, I'd sense his gaze on me. But each time our eyes met, I felt this weird connection. As if we met him before.
More interesting than his soulful gaze was his offhand knowledge of mythology. I loved mythology now, but I didn't always. I ended up in love with mystical literature in search for answers about my wolf "situation".
But watching and hearing Professor Blackwood speak so eloquently and convincingly sparked my curiosity, and I couldn't help but wonder how much he knew and how long he'd been teaching for.
“And that'll be all for today, class. I'll see you again next week.”
The class ended, and my reality was back palpable the moment Blackwood dismissed everyone.
My eyes met Tristan's on his way out but he looked away, like I wasn't there, but he smiled at someone else as he approached the door.
It was really over between us.
I swallowed hard as my head came down and my eyes were tearing up again. I quickly wiped the loose tear on my face before a hand landed gently on my shoulder. I looked up and-
“You seemed fascinated by mythology, Miss...?”
“S-Sophia,” I stuttered. My heart skipped multiple beats, seeing Blackwood was standing right next to me.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Sophia. I couldn't help but notice you took extensive notes. Was my teaching that impressive?”
He had a bright smile as he jokingly asked about his lecture in a deep clear baritone.
He was impressive and the flush on my face gave me up before I nodded in the affirmative.
“Thank you.” He replied with a satisfied look. “If you don't mind me asking, since everyone's gone… do you not intend to leave soon?”
“Um, y-yeah… I'm leaving soon- now. I'm leaving now.” I was awkward as hell and he saw it. I know because I heard him chuckle lightly as he turned around.
I was completely shrunken in his aura.
I got up after him and walked toward his desk, easing up a little after seeing no one else was around.
He quizzed me about mythology and I gladly overshared my passion for the subject, even occasionally veering off-topic. He didn't seem to mind though. He laughed softly every once in a while as we walked down the hall.
“Also, I've always been fascinated by the legends of the Moon Goddess," I concluded, turning to look at him.
Professor Blackwood's eyes sparkled, and he looked at me with surprise. "Well, the Moon Goddess is truly an intriguing figure, Sophia. Her connection to the lunar cycle and our realm is quite vast."
He flowed freely in our conversation and casually covered more topics in minutes than I could read in hours.
Still, something inside me felt like I'd met him before, like I'd known him for years.
We walked to the end of the hall, and he handed me a book with a leather cover before turning to go. “Take this, I think you'll find it interesting.”
“What is it?”
“It's an ancient text on lunar mythology and it talks a little about the Moon Goddess.”
I could feel my face grinning from ear to ear now.
"Wait… really?”
“Yes, Sophia. This is the most interested I've ever seen anyone get about mythology. You can bring it to me when you're done or if you have questions.”
I was overjoyed and could hug him right there. “Thank you sir!”
"Oh Sophia, you can call me Nolan. Something tells me we'll be spending more time together soon.”
There was that gentle hand on my shoulder again. He then smiled and turned to go.
I felt a sense of tranquility as Professor Blackwood left me with his book and in a trail of his sweet woody musk. Our little discussion felt oddly therapeutic.
The book itself was old and bound in worn-out leather but it felt special, like it radiated some sort of energy.
I settled into bed, having read almost half of Professor Blackwood's book despite the kind of day I had.
I slowly drifted, giving in to sleep that weighed down my eyelids and instead fell into a vision;
I felt a mysterious familiarity, as though I had slipped into an unknown realm that I had been in before.
I was standing under the full moon, surrounded by a fog-like mist. The tall figure from my previous visions appeared again and drew close to me, his facial features still hidden in shadows.
This time though, his eyes were gleaming at me with a scary intensity – piercing grey, like… Blackwood's. I was crazy to compare him to a man I just met, but I had been thinking about Blackwood a lot.
The figure reached out as he did before, and I felt an electric zing as my hand touched his. He held on with a grasp that was soft but firm, and his hand was warm and teasing.
"Sophia," he whispered, his low husky voice echoed, sending shivers down my spine.
Suddenly, he pulled his hand from mine in a flit and vanished into thin air, leaving me in the fog-like mist that soon turned into black smoke.
In my confusion, my wolf howled loud between my breath and I panicked for fear of turning. My dream was starting to become a nightmare. I didn't want to turn. It felt like an explosion was brewing inside me and my back got heavier.
I fell to the ground and clasped my hands into the soil, struggling to restrain myself.
My teeth grinding as hard as possible, I gave my all to contain my wolf but the harder I tried, the stronger it became.
All of a sudden, my hands were pushed up from the soil and my whole body was thrown up.
The loudest howl came out of me as I completely transformed mid-air and crashed on my paws. I breathed hard as my ears flickered and all my senses immediately tripled.
Under the radiant full moon, my wolf was standing with shining, majestic white fur rather than her usual grey, velvety fur.
Still confused by the changes, I watched the thicket of smoke gradually disappear and found I was standing in a sea of dead wolves, their bodies surrounding me in hundreds.
I jolted awake, scared shitless with Professor Blackwood's book in my hands and closely clutched to my chest.
As I caught my breath, my room was eerily quiet and the moon outside cast an unsettling shadow on the walls.
I jumped with a sudden knock on my door. It was followed by a familiar voice with a low whisper. “Sophia? You there?”